[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation

[GaryH]

Great new photos there on TowersTimes. At least we now have footers!!!!

A lot of new concrete supporting walls have been erected too.

What strikes me the most however is the "secret element" area - a lot of foundation has been poured here and its obvious something is going built in this area .... question is... what!!!

 

[Quetzal]

The lack of any more track is very concerning, but I'm happy with the progress they've made at the top end of the site. Give those footers a week or so to cure, and they could be putting up the top section of track soon. I'd hope that the track over the Loo's will be up by Half Term, and the station weatherproofed.

Has anything remotely lift shaped been delivered? I don't think I've seen anything which would fit that description so far? I can only imagine there's been major delays with ride hardware to delay the coaster so much.

Why the hell is this going up so slowly? Is may looking far fetched now?

 

[Josh]

I didn't expect any more track to be up because the site still isn't ready yet. Gerstlauer aren't even on site just now as there's no point in them being around, although the amount of footers that have been placed since the last update does make me happy loads has been done, and hopefully more track will be going up soon, maybe in a couple of weeks

 

[Rob]

There seem to be a lot more footers in place now which is good; especially up around the toilets. I'm not surprised or overly concerned by no more track being up yet, I do have a feeling that this is deliberate at this stage. It makes sense to get all of the groundwork finished before calling Gerstlauer back in to finish off the track.

I must say though, some of the groundwork really doesn't match the plans at all, another indication of them not being accurate.

 

[adsyrah]

I must say though, some of the groundwork really doesn't match the plans at all, another indication of them not being accurate.

What doesn't match? I really find it hard to visualise the groundwork.

 

[Rob]

I must say though, some of the groundwork really doesn't match the plans at all, another indication of them not being accurate.

What doesn't match? I really find it hard to visualise the groundwork.

Well they've not dug out where the second lift is meant to go. If it is going to be exactly as it is on the plans then they still have a lot of digging to do. I don't see it happening.

 

[Dar]

On the plans, most of the ground is marked as being flat and at the same height as the current ground in X-Sector. The second lift isn't enclosed on the plans either, if memory serves.

 

[Rob]

On the plans I think the second lift is meant to be in a dug out "trench" like the have built on the right of the site (photo number 4 on TT). This trench is meant to go right up towards where the toilet block is. Clearly it hasn't been dug out and there is only one place left where it could be dug out. Digging it out will take a while though, I'd be surprised (and worried) if any more significant digging is still required.

EDIT:

Here is the best way of showing it, from Dan Wells' recreation on the TST Smiler mini site:

This "trench" hasn't been dug out.

 

[BigT]

The whole of the area between the maintenance shed and the toilet block doesn't seem dug out to me, the first lift hill is supposed to come out from the maintenance shed and go straight up at a 45 degree angle, at the moment this looks impossible because there is a bank in the way.
The trench for the second lift hill like you say rob has only just been started.

More strangely, and this is why I think there is a secret element is the fact they haven't put any steel structure around the area of the maintenance shed yet have finished the main station building.
They are defiantly waiting for something to go in here and the absence of the Gert boys tends to suggest that they are working on this element still at the factory.

If it was just track then it would of been installed by now and the building up because weather doesn't stop steel being erected.

 

[adsyrah]

Well they've not dug out where the second lift is meant to go. If it is going to be exactly as it is on the plans then they still have a lot of digging to do. I don't see it happening.

I've had a look at the plans and tried to match them to the current site from TT. I'm comparing the 4th photo with this plan.

So, there are two trenches at the moment and space for 1 more. The two there at the moment are:

1) coming out of the station presumably just before the lift hill is high enough to come up above ground level
2) after what looks like a corkscrew after the second like and just before you enter the knot for a second time (there's a green cheerypicker there in it in the photos)

There looks like there's room for a third trench in the middle of the site towards the toilet block as there's a gap in the concrete - this still needs digging and is where the brake run before the vertical lift hill is supposed to go.

From what I can tell (please correct me if I'm wrong) the current groundwork seems to fit with the track layout on the plans, but for whatever reason the whole track has been dug down deeper than initially indicated.

 

[Dar]

From Towersstreet Facebook:

Could these lead down into the pit? I can't see them being for inside the station, I imagine standard steel steps are cheaper, but I can see them leading down into the pit with the knot.

(Also, beat the team again! What ARE they playing at?)

 

[Wilsy]

A lot of the team are busy getting photos of various developments across the resort ;-)

More (non-smiler) photos coming soon!

I'd imagine that the steps will go into the pit, as it will probably get a bit dirty down there.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CGM]

Could these lead down into the pit? I can't see them being for inside the station, I imagine standard steel steps are cheaper, but I can see them leading down into the pit with the knot.

I'd be very surprised if steel steps are less expensive. Concrete's one of the cheapest materials there is and you can easily cast it.

In the case of the steel steps, not only are the initial material costs higher, they would also have to be fabricated then painted or galvanised.

 

[Poisson]

Concrete fits the area better than steel does

 

[rightbackgranty]

I'm just growing increasingly worried that the concreted area will remain just that, with little or no additions to make the area look a little less like a car park / air tunnel v 2.

I appreciate the rest of the ride looks likely to be "above ground" and will be far easier to landscape, much like air. But that big pit, I just don't know what they can do to it to make it look more appealing!

 

[James]

My thoughts exactly.

Yes it will fit in with the whole X-Sector theme and sure, it will look good for a while. But then if Oblivion/the rest of X-Sector/the Air tunnel are anything to go by all the concrete is going to look VERY ugly in a year or two.

 

[rightbackgranty]

If the 60's building revolution taught us anything, is that concrete ages horribly. Looking at how the area around the oblivions drop has done over the past decade and a half it doesn't fill me with confidence!

I don't know how well "soft landscaping" such as attempting to build rock pools like the one between Enterprise and Oblivions exit hole and then turfing the area / having wild grass would work down there.

As much as I'd hate to see gravel down there, I think it would look better than plain concrete, but that only solves the floor!

 

[Mi-Nigle]

They could very well be steps for a maintenance area closed off to the public - they may never be seen.

 

[Bear]

Pictures have been posted on TT of a new section of track that has arrived, that is rammed full of hydraulics that might move the track itself about. I'm thinking it could interact with a pre-show of some kind before the first lift...

 

[Spark]

I've seen that. Very interesting as it all ties into why the whole construction has been delayed!